Lead Nurse Practitioner

PRIMARY FUNCTION:  Lead Nurse Practitioner (Lead NP) within the ambulatory setting who leads the provision of medical services at the Maternal Addiction Treatment Education & Research (MATER) program in the College of Nursing. This includes participating in executive leadership of MATER, overseeing nursing at MATER, coordinating prenatal, postpartum, and well-child care, providing patient care focused on women's health issues that may or may not intersect with substance use disorders, and conducting initial and annual physicals as required by state and federal regulations. The Lead NP will assist the multidisciplinary team in the promotion of optimal behavioral and physical health, prevention, and treatment of related health problems.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Participate in Executive Leadership Team of MATER; helping to integrate medical clinical care for women and their children.  Assisting with integrated policy and program implementation.  Manage medical guidelines, licensing, and certifications.

• Lead a team of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and medical assistants, including supervising staff, developing the department, leading special projects, and contributing to the executive leadership of the program.

• Provide 1:1 orientation to new patients, including available medical services at MATER, expected clinical course for pregnancy and postpartum at MATER and during hospitalization for delivery. 

  Assessment & Management

• Assess presence and impact of acute and chronic medical co-morbidities on addiction and psychiatric treatment, and treating or making referrals for treatment of co-morbid disorders.

• Perform a multi-system and/or pinpoint review of systems and physical exam, determine diagnosis/diagnoses.

• Perform complete history & physicals and document in the medical record.

• Order and collect data using appropriate assessment techniques, relevant supporting diagnostic information and diagnostic procedures where indicated.

• Provide as-needed reproductive health services, including pre-pregnancy counseling, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, contraceptives, and other needed services.

• Serve as the first responder for both nursing and house staff in the event of patient status changes, orders, and in situations requiring procedural and resuscitative interventions.

• Assesses for risks associated with the care of the acute and complex chronically ill patient including: medication side effects, immobility, impaired nutrition, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, immunocompetence, invasive interventions and diagnostic procedures.

Diagnosis

• Recommend/order appropriate medications, laboratory tests, and monitoring of patients.

• Collaborates with interdisciplinary health care team in making diagnoses of acute and complex chronic conditions.

• Manages diagnostic tests through ordering, interpretation, performance, and supervision.

• Formulates differential diagnoses by priority.

• Diagnoses complications and orders appropriate interventions

Formulates Plan of Care

• Develop/review treatment plan for health conditions based on evidence-based standards of care and practice protocols/guidelines

• Identifies expected outcomes from diagnosis, and formulates and documents a plan of care to address complex acute and chronic health care needs.

• Provide referral and coordination of care with primary or specialty providers for management of Hepatitis A, B, and C, HIV/AIDS, and other co-occuring health conditions.

• Utilizes evidenced based practice guidelines and protocols in an individualized, dynamic plan of care that can be applied across the continuum.

• Implements and modifies plan of care.

• Prescribes diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions.

• May perform advanced procedures consistent with privileges and competency validation.

Documentation

• Documents/dictates key components of patient's progress via daily progress note, transfer, and discharge summary, and or clinic note where applicable. (h&p, daily progress notes, plan of care, problem lists, procedure notes, acute event note, discharge summaries, in medical record per specific patient unit or service, death summary)

• Documentation is timely, meets acute care compliance standards and captures patient acuity.

Communication and Collaboration

• Coordinate prenatal, postpartum, and well-child care, including coordinating or overseeing coordination of CenteringPregnancy and CenteringParenting projects at MATER.

• Facilitate the transition of patients across levels of care by communicating with next provider/system of care

• Maintains ongoing communication and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team.

• Facilitates and communicates with patient, family and staff to promote continuity of care across the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care.

Professional Practice

• Demonstrates Professional Practice behaviors including: preceptor/mentoring, education and instruction of graduate students.

• Provide as-needed reproductive health services, including pre-pregnancy counseling, sexually-transmitted infection testing and treatment, contraceptives, and other needed services.

• Participate in MATER’s research projects as appropriate, such as providing health assessments and record review for clinical trials, aiding in study recruitment, conducting study health visits, and seeking out potential research projects.

• Actively participates in Advance Practice Grand Rounds and specialty specific meetings.

• Maintains CEUs, and membership in a professional organization.

• Interacts with co-workers, visitors, and other staff consistent with the values of Jefferson.

Qualifications

Master’s Degree

National Board Certification as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant

BLS certification